Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-22
PASTE JeweLRY IS POPULAR.
Some OF the Clever limitations and Ho'
They arc Manufactured.

Some Of the Clever limitations and How
They are Manufactured.
1.-THE number OF imitation diamonds
worn these days Is enormous" said q
fashionable jeweler on Broadway to q re-
porter.
"What limitations are most worm"
"The double diamond, q clever imita-
ton produced by splitting a worthless or
defective stone and backing IL with tnfoil.
| Diamonds of this kind have 10 lie carefully
mounted or else detection will be easy.
The business OF intensifying the sparkle OF
a pale, cheap diamond is now reduced to
a science. Gems are frequently split IN
two, q deeper tone of color introduced and
they are Joined together again, producinga
stone that has a beautiful fire and that
which sells for three or four times its
original value. The 'loublet' business is
extremely profitable, but, Of course, no
reputable dealer can afford TO sell any
without injuring his trade and reputation.
A lapidary, ono Zocolino, invented the
'doublet' many years ago. lie used q bit
Of crystal As n bottom TO a makeup, and
painted il with transparent glue. llcthen
joined together two cheap thin stones, and
produced n gem that appeared finer than
the real. 1t was not long before his
method was detected.
'Thc quartz gems are popular and come
next TO the 'dOublcts' in clever counterfeit.
They are gems of course Of their kind, but
not what they are often sold for. Quartz
can stand the test of the file, which glass
cannot do, hence its availability. There
are other stones and certain varieties of
topaz which are as hard rs diamonds; and
being colorless they are frequently cut and
polished and passed as diamonds of the
first water. OF late colorless gem material
has gone up in prices, owing TO the de-
mand from the bogus diamond manufact-
urers. Then there are the paste diamonds,
so easily taken by amateurs for genuine.
The composition OF paste gems is a mix
ture Of violin glass and borax. These
manufactured stones are very hard TO de-
tcct, and sometimes find their way into
rich families who are unwittingly imposed
upon. The glittering gems that can be
seen on Broadway after the matinees are
over, half the time are clever limitations,
either doublets, quartz or paste.
"But at the swell society balls | confess
the gems worn there by the wealthy are
genuine. Extremely wealthy people are
not easily imposed upon; they always have
a jcwclcr who examines carefully their
gems before they are purchased. The very
moderately well-to-do people are often de-
ceiyed, and young men who want diamonds
to sparkle before their s~wecthcartS. Some
Of them, though, 60 boldly and ask for the
limitations and disport them rs genuine.
Mock pearls are frequently seen, too, but
the diamond is initiated more than any
precious stone. The ruby is sometimes
manufactured from a recipe which ON.
prses twenty parts of antimony and glass,
500 OF strass, a half each Of purple of
Cassium and gold. Avcnturine is also q
gem glass frequently used in limitations.
These limitations Of course have some effect
upon the sale Of genuine gems, but not TO
an extent that is ruinous. Think, though,
that all jewelers. who sell limitations should
deal exclusively in such goods and so adj
vertise. The harm comes from the attempt
to palm of counterfeits for real stones. ~
New York Mail and Express.